Family Lessons 151: An Earl's Reward

There is a legend told about my 26x great-grandfather, Adam (1154-1212). He allegedly saved the life of the Earl of Chester, which, if true, was probably Hugh de Keveliok who lived from 1147-1181. The Earl was one of the most powerful men in northern England but fell from his horse while hunting in south Cheshire, the creature having been startled by a wounded wolf which proceeded to attack the nobleman. Adam killed the wolf and supposedly saved the Earl’s life. Adam was duly rewarded with as much territory as he could walk in a day, gaining the manor of Church Lawton in Cheshire and its attached 1000 acres of land which belonged to the Earl (rather than the rest which were owned by the Abbot of Chester). From then on, he was known as Adam de Lautune.

The story is interesting but does not sound terribly reliable; Earl Hugh was a tough warrior and I am a little surprised that he needed the help of a knight or squire (Adam already possessed a coat of arms) to rescue him, though it is not impossible. Had he been trapped under his horse, then a desperate wolf would have found him fair game. Furthermore, the figure of 1000 acres seems both rather neat and not very large for a day’s march, when the purpose of which was personal enrichment. 1000 acres is about three times the size of London’s Hyde Park, so it is large, but not exactly massive. The tale therefore seems rather unlikely, though giving another man one of your manors as recompense for some brave act during a hunt does not seem totally unreasonable. The Lawton coat of arms is described in Burke’s Peerage as having a wolf and three crosses and cinquefoils with a silver and white crest. Perhaps the wolf story and resulting stroll was invented to spruce up the family’s origins.

The current Earl of Chester is Prince William of Wales, about whom, coincidentally, I wrote yesterday. Like his predecessor in the twelfth century, he has the power and wealth to reward and honour those who offer good service, though I suspect he is no longer able to offer entire villages without damaging his reputation. Whatever the truth of Adam de Lautune’s service to the Earl of Chester, the Lord of the Cosmos can better reward and bless those who seek Him and serve Him:

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him -Hebrews 11:6

And our Lord, unlike the Earl, gave His life to save us, and not the other way round.